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Have you ever heard of the “Travel Vinted”? It involves booking a discounted trip without going through a traditional promotion, a principle offered by a platform that relies on reselling reservations that have become unnecessary. The concept is attracting more and more travelers in search of bargains, but also those who want to recover part of their spend when an unforeseen event prevents them from leaving. With discounts that can exceed 60%, this second-hand market applied to tourism is gaining momentum. A trend that accompanies rising travel costs and the growth of flexible bookings.

A platform that gives travel bookings a second life

When a trip can no longer be undertaken, refund options are sometimes limited, or even nonexistent. This is the realization that led to the development of Transfer Travel, a platform specialized in the resale of travel reservations, whether for stays, cruises, train tickets, or accommodations.

The mechanism is simple: a traveler posts a booking that they will ultimately not be able to use. A buyer can then purchase it immediately or try to negotiate the price. Once the transaction is completed, the seller has 72 hours to make the name change and transmit the updated documents so that the booking is officially transferred.

The phenomenon is gaining ground. The platform claims more than 162,000 users spread across more than 170 countries. According to its data, the number of listings published rose by 185% in one year. Since the beginning of the year, around seven million pounds (nearly 8.2 million euros) of travel bookings have been put up for sale there.

The savings can be substantial. According to Maisie Blewitt, Commercial Manager of Transfer Travel, “we have always said that we were like Vinted or eBay for travel. If you can no longer go on holiday, you can simply put them on our platform and resell them,” she told the Daily Mail. She adds that “in general, we see savings between 40 and 70%, but in the last month the average discount was around 62%.”

Certaines offres sont particulièrement attractives. La responsable cite notamment un séjour à Malte vendu initialement 90 livres sterling (105 euros) puis revendu 45 livres (52 euros), soit un peu plus de 20 livres (23 euros) par personne pour deux voyageurs.

Significant savings, with a few caveats to know

This reselling of trips can also help avoid substantial financial losses. The Daily Mail reports the case of a Welsh couple who risked losing nearly 9,000 pounds sterling (10,500 euros) after having to cancel a cruise, with neither the company refund nor coverage by their insurer following a heart-related issue. Their son, Owen Basset, turned to the platform to try to limit the damage. The cruise, priced at around 9,000 pounds, was ultimately sold to a buyer for 3,000 pounds (3,500 euros) a few days before the transfer deadline.

“At this stage, we already thought the money was lost, so recovering even a portion of the amount was a real victory and that made a huge difference”, recounts Owen Basset to the Daily Mail. He also notes that “once everything was agreed with the buyer, the sale proceeded quickly and the entire process felt really safe and secure. There was no worry that everything would fall through at the last moment”.

The platform also attracts travelers looking for last-minute opportunities. An American woman bought two first-class train tickets between London and Glasgow, originally sold for £240 (€280), for only £150 (€175), after discovering this service on social media.

However, the system does have a few drawbacks. The information available depends entirely on the seller, which can make some listings less detailed than a booking made directly with a tour operator or a lodging site. Furthermore, the platform does not yet offer a dedicated feature for family searches with children. Despite these limitations, travel resales seem to be gradually establishing themselves as a new way to travel cheaper while reducing the financial waste associated with unused bookings.